Diplomatic Immunity
by SkepticallyHopeful
Summary: AU. After VoDT, Edmund and Lucy stay on in Narnia, though Eustace doesn't. Celia Longburn is the daughter of a successful US diplomat. She's grown up learning to be diplomatic and tactful, much like Edmund. When Celia's airplane crashes she enters Narnia, only to meet her male counterpart. Negotiations are made, alliances are formed and sparks fly. Edmund/OC. Full summary inside.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello!**

**This story is AU, where Edmund and Lucy stay on after VoDT but Eustace leaves.**

**Celia Longburn is the daughter of a successful US diplomat, and is studying to be one herself. She's grown up learning to be tactful and diplomatic, much like Edmund. When Celia's plane crashes and she ends up in Narnia, she meets her match in Edmund Pevensie. Negotiations are made, treaties are written and sparks fly. Edmund and Celia are the very best of diplomats, letting nothing deter them from their masks of calmness - that is, nothing except each other. Celia's father may have diplomatic immunity in 32 countries, but it seems that what Celia needs is diplomatic immunity of the heart.**

**This is my first time writing a fanfic, so constructive criticism and reviews are very much appreciated. You can critique my story as much as you like as long as it's helpful, so if you want to say "OMG UR STORY SUX I HATE U" please save it. I love the CoN fandom and Edmund is my favorite character, he's so perfectly imperfect it's amazing. Anyway, on to the story, hope you like it!**

**_Disclaimer: I own Chronicles of Narnia. And math is easy. Pigs can fly._**

Celia Longburn stepped onto flight AJA 738, dragging her suitcase behind her. Finding her seat and unceremoniously dumping the suitcase below it, she buckled in and sighed, preparing herself for a boring flight to Kabul, Afghanistan. Having a dad who had diplomatic immunity in 32 countries meant that he travelled a lot, and if she wanted to see him at all she did to. Besides, her new internship at the UN with the Human Settlements Programme also needed her to be at the UN Summit in Kabul. She hoped she' d be able to spend more time with dad than the ten minutes they'd had together last time they'd met.

The twenty-one year old put her phone on airplane mode, then idly stared out the window as the crew began the usual safety demo, which she'd already watched a hundred times.

Maybe watching it a hundred and first time would've helped. But probably not.

"Good evening Ladies and gentlemen, we are experiencing a high amount of turbulence, we request you to keep your seatbelts on…"

She'd been in high turbulence before, it was nothing.

"We will have to make an emergency stopover in Paris, your flight will be delayed due to dangerous flying conditions…"

Celia clutched the armrest beside her. She felt sick. The pilot wasn't kidding when he said turbulence. This was a freaking rollercoaster. She 'd never been on a flight as bad as this, she thought, as she winced when lightning flashed in the sky as thunder growled ominously. She usually enjoyed storms, but she was changing her mind now that she was in the center of one.

The plane shook violently and she tossed to the window side, her face smashed up against it.

She couldn't believe her eyes.

It was probably just her mind playing tricks on her. Or a mirage sort of thing.

She could've sworn she saw a lion form from the flash of lightening and clouds in the sky. A lion's silhouette had formed before her very eyes, looking majestic and proud, with a sort of grace and dignity she didn't think an animal could possess. Then, when she blinked, it was gone.

Wow. She really was going bonkers.

The plane shuddered and rolled to a side with so much force her suitcase slid out from under the seat, moving in front of her. She managed to trap it with her feet. She could hear terrified wails, sounds of babies crying and air-hostesses speaking in hushed tones from her position in the back of the plane. She looked around for the closest emergency exit. An oxygen mask slid down from its compartment above. The passengers were requested to pull out the life jackets stored in their armrests.

She did the required things, then squeezed her eyes shut and prayed she wouldn't die.

Slowly, her consciousness slipped away…

-x-x-x-

King Edmund the Just was chasing his little sister round the throne room.

It was a most undignified thing for a man, a _king_, of twenty-one years to do.

Queen Lucy the Valiant, now a young lady, nineteen years of age, ran round the room shrieking, her blonde-brown hair flowing behind her.

And all this time King Caspian X was sitting on his throne and eating an apple.

"You can't run from me forever, Lu! I'm gonna catch you and you'll have hell to pay!"

"Edmund _no, I'm sorry, I'm sorry_! Don't – oh, Ed, don't _tickle me!_"

But Edmund Pevensie had caught his sister round the waist and she was now sprawled over the floor, Ed tickling her mercilessly with a lazy smile on his face.

"That's what you get for pouring water all over me this morning!"

"You wouldn't wake up!"

"You could've let me sleep!"

"You were already ten minutes late for court!"

"I…ugh. "

"Alright, _children_, you've had your fun," Caspian conceded with twinkling eyes. "Let's do some grown-up stuff now."

Ed whacked him playfully on the arm while Lucy rolled her eyes at him. "Such a useless grown-up you are! The Queen is being attacked by a savage beast ("Excuse me?" Edmund said indignantly) and what do you do? Sit there and eat an apple!"

Ed smiled and laid back on the floor contentedly, staring up at the ceiling. He wondered how things would've been if Aslan hadn't let them stay on after their adventures on the Dawn Treader. It was a pity that Eustace got sent back, although he was sure that Aslan had plans for him in Narnia again. More than that though, he was disappointed that Susan and Peter were left behind in England. Caspian was a brother to him but sometimes he missed Peter's boldness and arrogance and Sue's logic and her gentle smile.

Oh well, at least he and Lucy were together. Aslan's ways were mysterious but they were the best for all.

"Hope I'm not bothering you, your Majesties…" Edmund shot up and tried looking as kingly as possible from his position on the floor. Drinian's lips curled into a smile. He was a great adviser as well as friend of theirs now and had realized that though they were great and dignified rulers, his Kings and Queen really were children at heart.

"Not at all, Drinian, what is it?" Caspian took another bite of his apple.

"A daughter of Eve has been found unconscious in the Western Wood, as the wolves have reported. The wolves considered bringing her back here, but I, however…"

"No, we should go meet her ourselves," Lucy said, glancing at Edmund, and she knew he was thinking of the same instance as she – Eustace's reaction to Reepicheep. Humans from his world were less than used to talking animals.

"I agree," Edmund said and got up. Caspian too rose. Lucy bounced up excitedly.

"Another human in Narnia! Lead the way!"

After riding for a while, the trio came across Sitara, a she-wolf with a snowy coat and Edmund's consort.

"How much farther?" he asked, getting off his horse.

"Not much, Sire. The girl is just around this bend…"

"_People! Thank God!"_

A warm, white-and-navy blur came rushing into Edmund with such force that he was almost knocked back. He realized then that this blur was a person, who duly turned around. Caspian was in front of her, Still on his horse and looking wary, while Lucy had dismounted as well and was coming round to meet the girl.

"Please don't hurt me! I'm an American citizen and the daughter of a member of the American Foreign Service, who probably has diplomatic immunity in your country. I just want to talk, that's all."

"Ah, American! That's nice," Lucy said conversationally and the girl jumped. Edmund looked at her then. She was from their world, that much was certain. She was dressed in a suit (he did not know that women had come to wear those) that was navy and white, and held a suitcase with wheels on it. She had a short, curly bob of light brown hair and was now regarding them with cool blue eyes. Her face gave an expression of forced calmness, and her posture was subservient, acknowledging that she did not have the upper hand. She had the body language and demeanor, Edmund realized, of a diplomat.

Judging by what she'd said, she possibly was one.

"You're British." She stated in shock. "I'm sorry, but what part of the world am I in? This looks like one of those small islands off Britain, maybe somewhere around Gibraltar? But I'm very familiar with that territory, so I'm not sure…" she trailed off expectantly.

"We don't know how to explain this to you, I think it would be best if you came with us to-"

"Why, you're in Narnia!"

Edmund was mentally berating Lucy.

"Narnia?" the girl said politely, but in confusion. "Sorry but I don't know where that is. It would be great if you could contact my consulate. I can't seem to get a signal."

She held up a fascinating looking device in her palm.

"It's…complicated." Caspian jutted in, and the girl started, looking at him like she just realized he was there. "Allow us to introduce ourselves. I am King Caspian, and this King Edmund, while that is Queen Lucy. We are the rulers of Narnia."

"We think this would be best explained if you would come to our home with us, Cair Paravel. It's there that things can be explained best." Edmund said, smoothly. The girl now looked at him, giving him an inquisitive nod.

The girl appraised all of them, her face a mask. Oh, she was good. Edmund could make that much out. Given her current situation, the fact that she was still _thinking _and not letting them see what she felt made her rather resourceful.

"And what's your name?" Lucy enquired kindly, giving her a friendly smile.

"I'm Celia. Celia Longburn." Celia Longburn answered. How do we travel?

"Your Majesties, are you ready to go?"

Edmund couldn't help but grin as Celia Longburn jumped metres high as Sitara came strolling in.

"Oh my God, that was a wolf, and it spoke, it was a wolf. A WOLF. And it _spoke!_ Are any of you ventriloquists? It's not funny, stop smiling like that!"

Edmund still couldn't keep the grin off his face. It seemed like Ms. Calm-and-Composed had a hole in her barrier after all. That was a relief. He was scared she would give him a run for his money.

"Many animals can talk here in Narnia," Lucy said, with a giggle. "It is because of the Deep Magic. "

"Deep magic? More like mutation and genetics." Edmund heard the girl mutter softly, and raised an eyebrow in thought. Explaining Narnia would not be easy.

"Are we travelling by horseback?" Celia asked.

"Yes"

"Um…what should I do with my suitcase?"

After making arrangements for Celia's suitcase, that was somehow riding on the back of a disgruntled Sitara, it was decided that she would ride with Lucy.

It was surprising that she knew how to ride. The Pevensies certainly hadn't when the had arrived in Narnia the first time. When asked, Ms. Longburn simply stated that she had learnt horse-riding near her home in America.

Edmund was rather suspicious of her. Caspian was intrigued and Lucy, simply happy to find another human in Narnia.

As they rode on in silence, all Edmund could think was _Well, this will certainly be interesting._


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the follows and review! They made my day :) Here's the second chapter. It seems a little too long to me, and too slow. And Celia seems to be over thinking. I've tried to show how much there is behind the words that people speak: the things they imply, what their body language suggests, and how much more you see when you're open to those things.**

**On with the story...**

Everything was such a big mess.

Celia resisted the urge to bang her head against her palm and sink into the ground crying.

After the plane incident, the next thing she remembered was waking up in this place, alone and frightened. Her first thought was that she was dead – and this was heaven. But it sure didn't feel like it. Her second thought was that she'd somehow come to hell, but this place didn't look that bad. She then concluded that she may somehow be alive, and the plane crashed in a mysterious uncharted country, leaving her somehow deserted in this forest. She'd never seen a country so technologically backward (not a single car or cell phone tower), but then again, that was probably why it was so – who ever would have seen it? And more importantly, _animals could talk. _Was that the outcome of some genetic mutation? Scientific experiments? Her having gone crazy? This place didn't even _look _scientifically advanced.

She was doomed.

She was trying so hard to be the perfect diplomat, appear in control and in charge without looking dominating. She'd already slipped up twice, dammit. That had to be the end of that, though. She would not, whatever happened, react to anything else.

Besides, there was another diplomat present, watching her every move.

She was talking about the dark-haired boy, or man perhaps. She knew these diplomatic types like the back of her hand. He had perfect body language, communicating that he had the upper hand, but at the same time his features were relaxed, trying to show kindliness. He spoke in a soothing manner, like one would speak to a scared animal. That was what had annoyed her, and caused her to snap at him when he laughed. The truth was, she felt exactly like a scared animal.

And those big dark eyes of his were watching, analyzing, storing away her every word and action for future reference.

The other two people, though, appeared fairly straightforward. They too carried themselves with the authority of a royal, but appeared more friendly, especially the girl. As their horses galloped together, she turned to the side and gave Celia a kind smile. She smiled back politely.

"So, Celia, how exactly did you end up here? Do you remember anything?" asked the taller man, who called himself Caspian.

"I was on a flight from New York to Kabul in Afghanistan," she said, forcing her voice to sound calm and collected. "I remember that we were experiencing great turbulence and a storm. It was pretty serious because the oxygen masks had come down. I closed my eyes for a while, and when I next opened them, I was in the middle of these woods."

"I see," said the girl (Queen Lily? Oh, Queen Lucy.) "We have been in here three times. The first time was through a magical wardrobe, the second, we were transported here when Caspian sounded a horn – long story – and third, when we got pulled inside a picture."

Bonkers. Crazy. Raving mad, the lot of them. The others didn't even try to stop her or correct her – they just smiled fondly.

Being careful not to let her expression change, Celia said, "That…that sounds like quite an adventure!" She grinned shakily.

Queen Lucy laughed joyously, "Oh, I dare say it was!" There was something about the way she spoke, with such conviction, that made it hard to disbelieve her at all. But it was still harder to believe any of this.

"How is the war progressing, in England and America? I recall something about that…" asked the diplomat one, King Edmund.

"What war? The one between Ukraine and Russia? Well, Germany has called for a Geneva – 2 Peace Summit about it, but there have been civilian attacks…"

King Edmund knit his eyebrows together thoughtfully, then said, "Last I heard, it was England, Russia and France and several others against Germany …and Japan maybe, and Germany didn't want to back down…"

Celia raised her eyebrow. "Are you talking about World War II?"

"Ah, yes! That's what it's called,"

"That war was over ages ago. It's now 2014…right?" She added the last part calmly, instead of in the distressed questioning tone inside her head.

"You must be from a different time than them, then." King Caspian stated calmly. Because it seemed like people from different time zones just appeared in this place every day.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Who won, in the war?" asked King Edmund keenly. Okay, obviously this guy was either seriously uneducated, or he was living under a rock (the latter, it looked like)

"The Allies won. Your side."

He looked thoughtful, almost sad for a moment, but it was quickly covered up by smile.

"That's good to know."

They'd been riding for quite some while now, and the woods were long gone. The air in this place smelt so clean and unpolluted, and it truly was beautiful, she had to admit. She had to stop herself from gaping when she now saw what was in front of her.

A magnificent castle. The most splendid bit of architecture she'd ever seen. It stood tall and proud yet elegant, looking even more beautiful than the palace of Versailles, because it had a simple air of class about it.

"That is Cair Paravel." Said King Caspian proudly. "Our home."

-x-x-x-

Cair Paravel was even more enchanting from the inside than the outside.

"Your home is the most beautiful place I've ever seen." Celia said sincerely. The monarchs smiled at her. She could see the love they had for their country very clearly, and it was moving.

However, she had more pressing matters to deal with at hand.

They were seated in the throne room, a grand place with red and gold embroidered hangings and a matching banner with a lion upon it. It made Celia feel rather small.

"Your country is incredibly beautiful." She said. Flattery first, then the hard facts. "You would make a fortune if it were opened to tourism. Is it part of Europe?"

The Kings and Queen looked at each other worriedly. It seemed like an unspoken agreement had passed between them because then King Edmund began,

"I'm afraid that you might take some time to digest what I'm saying, Celia (good tactics, she thought, setting the expectations before beginning always helps) You may take a while to believe me. But I have no reason whatsoever to lie to you, though again, you can choose to believe me out of your own will only."

Well played. Subtly implying that they expected her to go along with what he was saying, and she was meant to believe his words because they saw no other way.

"We don't believe you are on Earth anymore. Narnia is…well, there's no other way to say it. It's a magical world, another reality. We ourselves came here from Earth, England, several years ago, for the first time. We've been coming and going ever since."

His words rang in her head. _It's a magical world, another reality. _

_We don't believe you are on Earth anymore._

Don't cry, don't cry, she told herself firmly. Not here. Not now.

King Edmund had said that they'd been coming and going. Maybe there was a way out of here. She still didn't know whether to believe she was in a magical land or not. Her mind refused to accept it. But she had no choice to do just that. She forced herself to take a deep breath and calmly analyze the problem.

She was in an unknown country that may or may not be real. She wasn't even sure if she was dead or alive, but she sure wouldn't be taking any chances to check. If she was alive, she would die alone in the wilderness. These people were her only hope. She had no choice but to trust them.

And anyway, where she was wasn't even the biggest of her problems. It was how to get out of this nightmare.

"You said you've been coming in and out of this…of Narnia. Is there any way for me to do the same? I have a life back on Earth, people waiting for me. Please, would there be any way back?" she kept he voice low and respectful, but made no expression or effort to acknowledge whether she believed King Edmund or not.

"Celia, there is no known way for us to get out of Narnia. This only happens by Aslan's will." Queen Lucy said softly.

"Aslan?"

"Celia," King Edmund said, in an almost persuasive voice. "Once you make a choice, Lucy can tell you to no end what there is to know about Narnia and more. She will tell you how we got in here as children, and about the adventures (he spoke this word with as much confidence as the others, but his eyes, till now steadily gazing at her, looked elsewhere for just a single moment. There was more to the adventure part of the story than he was letting on) that we have had here. She will tell you who Aslan is as well. What you know now are the bare essentials – Narnia is a place that is not on Earth, and there is no way known to us to get out of it, for if there was, we'd certainly help you. Since there is no plausible way of doing so, we would be honored to have you as our guest here. (This was fancy talk for saying 'We'd like to get rid of you but instead we're stuck with you') However, we leave it up to you to make the final choice. Would you like some time to make your decision?"

Celia's eyebrow was just itching to shoot up. He was practically playing with her and she had a feeling that he knew that she knew it. What he was basically saying was that she was supposed to stay with them here until they could figure out what to do with her. There was no decision to make, no choice. Whether she believed or not, whether she wanted to, she was stuck with them, and they with her.

He was using a well known diplomatic technique to coerce a person into feeling like they had a choice in an important matter, and this was used usually before conditions of a matter were discussed. On one hand, she was flattered. He could've just ordered her to stay and believe him even, since she had no other choice. He was doing this either to sincerely make a helpless girl feel like she had a choice or he was testing her, seeing if she was keeping up. He looked smart enough to make out that she was definitely keeping up, so he was probably just playing with her.

He was intriguing her and angering her at the same time. Yeesh.

She smiled at him just to see him react. He looked surprised for a moment, but he hid it well.

"My mind is made up, Your Majesty." She said politely. "If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to stay."

He gave her a little half-smile. It almost seemed like he was saying _touché. _

"Please, just call me Edmund," he said. "I'm glad. I hope you will have a pleasant stay here, and do make the castle your home. You have access to everything we do. All I ask of you is that you pledge your allegiance to Narnia in case of any conflict- an occurrence most unlikely."

There came the condition. Celia almost let out a sigh of relief. That wasn't a bad condition at all. She had no one else to pledge allegiance to. As long as she wasn't required to fight for them or anything, she would stay in the background, not saying yes but not saying no either.

"Sure, no problem." She said easily to King – well, to just Edmund.

Queen Lucy, who's looked most bored by the talk they were having, let out a squeal of delight.

"So you're with us in Narnia now! How fabulous! I have ever so much to tell you and show you, come on!"

Feeling a little disappointed that she wouldn't get to analyze Edmund's character further, but also relieved to be with a person who seemed much more uncomplicated, Celia grinned and followed Queen Lucy out of the room. Edmund and King Caspian were talking quietly behind her.

-x-x-x-

"Firstly, please let's drop the formalities. You called my brother You Majesty, which, to be frank, I found hilarious. He's no more majestic than a weasel in a top hat." Celia couldn't help but chuckle. "I agree with him however, so do call all of us by our first names. I'm barely nineteen, after all. How old are you?"

All this was said in one breath and Celia found Lucy's friendliness infectious. "I'm barely twenty-one myself."

"Edmund's age then! Silly boy, says he's twenty-one but acts like he's three" Again Celia laughed, because she couldn't imagine Edmund acting anything but too old for his age.

"So anyway, this is the ballroom, you already saw the throne room, this is the dining area, and this is…"

She was swept away by the grandness and sheer size of Cair Paravel. There seemed to be no end to it.

"And this is where you'll be staying. I see that your suitcase has already been put in here."

Celia looked into a pretty room with teal curtains and a large bed with matching bed-covers. There was a bath area adjoining it, (oh God what did these people even use as toilets) with the largest bathtub she'd ever seen. The room looked comfortable and not too grand, which she was grateful for, but was still luxurious enough to have a balcony with it, overlooking the magnificent cerulean sea.

"This room is awesome – it's really great! I love it. Thank you so much, Lucy" she grinned, wondering briefly if people from the 1940's knew slang like 'awesome' She wondered what they'd make of words like twerk.

"I'm so glad you like it," Lucy smiled. "I do hope you feel at home here. It's so nice for me to have another girl around. Edmund and I are brother and sister and Caspian is a brother to us too, though not by blood. We have two more actual siblings older than us, Peter and Susan. They were left behind on Earth though, and Susan was actually in America."

"You must miss them very much," Celia said quietly.

"Yes, we do. Whatever happens is Aslan's will, however, and only He can undo it. Speaking of Aslan, would you like to hear the story of how we got here?"

"Sure,"

"It all started ages ago, when I was around nine years old. Due to the bombing in London…"

Lucy's stories left Celia spellbound. The girl was a master storyteller, and her tales made Celia want to believe in everything she said. By the end of her stories, she could see Peter standing tall and proud, and the beavers with their kindly eyes, and Jadis and Miraz, cold and cunning. She even felt like she'd got a little insight into the enigma who was Edmund Pevensie (somehow, giving him a last name made him sound more normal) She clung on to every word.

"So that is how we were allowed to stay on in Narnia," smiled Lucy. "By Aslan's will. Oh, I do love him so much!"

"Tell me more about Aslan," Celia asked.

"Aslan…" Lucy said thoughtfully, chewing on her bottom lip, "Aslan is…well, Aslan _is._ He's nothing and He's everything. He's everywhere yet nowhere. You can just feel His presence around you, and it's like nothing you've e ever felt before. He makes you feel calm and loved and happy. Aslan is amazing."

"He sounds like God," Celia said softly.

"He's God to me." Lucy smiled. "Well, it's getting rather late. Would you like sometime to arrange your things before supper? Is there anything you need at all?"

"I'm all good, thanks," Celia said, though she felt like she'd been woken from a great reverie, and had come into reality – cold and confusing. "I'll just take some time to settle in."

"Yes, you must be very tired! I'll come and see you in a bit then, Celia. It was great talking to you. I think we may come to be very good friends!" With this, Lucy bounced out of the room, shutting the door behind her. Celia fell back on the bed, and before she knew it, tears were pouring down her cheeks. She was letting out nerve-wracking sobs.

She may never see her family again. She missed her dad so much. She missed her mom. Well, she thought bitterly, she obviously wasn't in heaven because her mom wasn't here. She missed the Uni, and the other interns and even Mr. Stevenson the janitor. She missed Internet and movies and 21st century toilets. She missed her life. She just wanted to go home. And she really, really wanted her dad.

She was confused, lonely and scared. She hadn't asked for any of this. She broke down again, crying her eyes out. The last time she'd cried like this was when she was when she was thirteen. In 2001.

_Get a grip, Celia, _she told herself. _You will find a way out of this. You have to. Stop bawling like a baby. The biggest risk you're taking is crying like this. Rule #1 is to never show a single weakness in front of the opposition. You've broken that already. So shut up and put your game face on._

Determined to never cry like that again, Celia washed her face and dried her eyes, and ran a comb through her hair. She arranged her face to be calm and composed and she straightened her back.

"Celia?" Lucy called. "Can I come in? It's time for supper"

Plastering a placid smile on her face, Celia walked to the door.

It was time to face the world – the new world, wherever it may be.


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's chapter three:**

Supper was held in a dining room that was smaller than the one she'd seen earlier, but just as grand. This one had an air of comfort and homeliness to it though. Caspian and Edmund were already sitting at the table, and Celia and Lucy took their seats opposite them.

Caspian smiled cheerfully at Celia as she entered, and she returned it. Edmund gave her a half-smile and a nod, his eyes still appraising her in that uncomfortable way. She was very aware of all the attention on her.

"I'm starving. Help yourself," Lucy added as she immediately reached for the dish closest to her and heaped it onto her plate. It was interesting. The Pevensies served themselves and ate privately, and judging by how Lucy was behaving, saved politeness and manners for more formal occasions. That certainly made things easier. She didn't have to worry about how to eat.

As the aroma of whatever they were eating surrounded her, Celia suddenly realized how ravenous she was. She too piled some sort of mystery meat onto her plate, and scooped some gravy into a bowl. She didn't care what she was eating or how – she was devouring it.

She looked up after a while to see Edmund and Caspian too, doing the same. It was a comfortable silence they had between them. She reached for the ladle to start on her seconds, and Lucy said, "I take it you've taken a liking to Narnian food?"

"Oh yes. Whatever it is, I love it,"

The group laughed and the next question was from Caspian.

"What was that…that _thing _you were holding when you first entered here? You said something about a signal…what was that all about?"

Celia wondered briefly how to explain a smart phone to a man who barely knew what a car was.

"That was a sort of telephone." She looked at Lucy and Edmund for help. "A telephone is a device that you use to talk to people who you can't meet. When it makes a ringing sound, you pick up the receiver and hear their voices. Your telephone also has it's own number and when people dial…well, type that number on their telephones, they'll be calling you and you'll pick up and talk to them. That way people can talk to other people through telephones."

Caspian looked a little confused, but he nodded.

"What I had is a tiny telephone, or a cell phone, that fits in my pocket. I can call people through it and they can call me back. They can also write messages to me and I can write back, and you can listen to music and play games and take pictures too…"

Caspian looked awestruck. Celia couldn't help but smile.

"Maybe I'll show it to you sometime." She said. "That would be amazing!" Caspian said, and Edmund agreed, "I too would like to see this device, it seems most fascinating."

"Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?" asked Edmund. She looked at him and all she could see was curiosity. She guessed, however, that letting her talk about herself would also be a good way to find out if there was anything that could be potentially harmful about her. Plus, it would give him more insight into her character, which he could use to his advantage to pull her strings.

She couldn't say no. That would be rude. But thinking of her life back home still gave her heartache.

"Of course," she said, smiling slightly and bowing her head a little bit (the smile made her look excited and/or flattered, and that, combined with the bowing of the head, showed that she'd be honored, and felt humbled.)

Keeping her expression neutral, Celia began,

"Well, as you know, I'm Celia Longburn. I was born in the United States of America, in New York City. My father works for the American Foreign Service, mainly dealing with countries that the U.S has conflict with, to help find peaceful solutions and relief for the people in those countries damaged by war. My mother was a nurse. (She noticed that Edmund was paying rapt attention to her now, and she knew that he had especially registered the use of the word was. He was probably now profiling that the fact that she was talking about a deceased member of the family could mean that she was opening up – something that she wanted him to think.) My mother died when I was eight years old, in a terrorist attack." She was proud that her voice still remained at the exact tone as before.

"We moved around a lot because of my father's job, due to which I got to see many new cultures. I go to University now, and am in my third year of my Bachelor's degree (Caspian still looked confused, Edmund thoughtful and Lucy attentive). It was in this year that I applied to be an intern at the United Nations."

Seeing Caspian's face, she added: "It's an international organization that works towards world peace and achieving economic, social and political stability everywhere. An intern is a person, usually a student, who just newly joined an organization and isn't entirely part of it yet but is working with it. So anyway, I got the internship, and I've been travelling around a lot to various countries to discuss ways for world peace, to put it simply. I was on the way to one such discussion when my plane crashed and I ended up here."

"Plane?" this was from Caspian. Luckily for Celia, though, Edmund and Lucy filled in about what a plane was. Their version of airplanes seemed so outdated.

"You do have an interesting life," Lucy said.

"I'd ask you to tell me about yours, but it seems like you already told me most of it," she laughed.

Edmund had turned to Caspian, and was addressing him seriously.

"…Darin, a small nation south of even Calormene, has offered us a trade partnership in fine cloth materials and weapons. I'm worried about how they make these materials, though. The offer is great, but it seems…"

"Ed, do stop about work already," Lucy whined. "As if I haven't had enough of it. Must we make it a matter of discussion even at supper?"

"Lucy, this is important – and it's not as if you do any work at all anyway. You run off after court to Beaver's dam and play with the rabbits near the hedge, we all know it."

"I was _solving a conflict_!" Lucy protested weakly. Edmund scoffed, but in good humor. "Indeed. Because a pair of rabbits can't sort out a conflict by themselves – Queen Lucy the Valiant must appear to solve their problems about who eats how many carrots!" His tone was light, playful. She can tell that he was letting himself go, having fun. She observed him discreetly, trying to find out more about his personality. It may just come in useful someday.

The two siblings stopped arguing, and Edmund smiled reluctantly before shoving some food into his mouth. Lucy looked over at Celia and grinned mischievously.

After dinner, Lucy excused herself, saying she had to go do something important ("Yes, like brushing her teeth," Edmund smirked.) so Celia was left alone with Caspian and Edmund. She felt rather awkward standing there with them not knowing what to do, so she said,

"Um…do you know where the library here is? (She'd seen in before but getting there was another story) I'd like to check out the books here, if there are any in English?"

"There are many books in English, since we've had a lot translated when we got here. We can show you to the library, if you'd like."

"Er-actually, I think I still have some work left to finish off. I must go do it and then I'll be off to bed. Goodnight!" Caspian said in a hurry and Celia burst into laughter.

"You don't have any work either, Caspian, since I do it all for you!" Edmund yelled to him. He simply dashed away, but not before playfully scuffing Edmund's ears and giving Celia a wink.

"That man. Goodness knows how he became King. He barely knows how to read!" Edmund said with a grin. It was nice, Celia thought, that the three of them were so close and affectionate with each other. She'd always grown up lonely, surrounded by adults.

"The library's this way." Edmund started walking, and she fell into step beside him. She tried to remember the way, but gave up after the fourth stairwell.

"Don't you ever get lost here?" she asked in exasperation. He laughed. "Not anymore, but when we first started living here, one of us was always late for court because we'd get lost on the way. It was terribly embarrassing."

She smiled. After what seemed to be an age, they reached the library. It was a beautiful room, that seemed to go on forever (like the rest of this freaking place) and the walls and passages were stacked with shelves full of books, from the floor up to the ceiling. She wondered how many years it would take to read all the books in this library.

They passed by comfy looking armchairs and a roaring fireplace. There was a plush sofa set with a table in the middle, surrounded by books all around. Something was glowing on that table…

"Whoa…" Celia breathed.

For on that table was a chess set. But instead of black and white, the usual colours, one side was pure gold and the other was silver. The board looked to be made of marble. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.

"You like chess?"

She jumped. For a moment, she'd forgotten that Edmund even existed. He was looking at her keenly, almost amused.

"I love chess." She said softly. She felt a little embarrassed that she got startled like that, so easily. Something about being around this guy made her react, and that was when she was trying extra hard _not _to. Ugh.

"Me too. I was ecstatic when I first got that chess set. Still am, in fact. Perhaps we should play sometime."

"Yeah"

"Here are the books that are in English. I hope you'll be able to find something to your liking."

"What books would you recommend?"

The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. She still felt kind of smug though. Her question was totally innocent enough, but if there was one thing she'd learnt, it was that there was no better way to judge a person's character than by the books they liked.

He raised an eyebrow. He wasn't falling for it. Damn. But he'd put her on the spot, and she was just returning the favor.

Nevertheless, he walked through the aisles, his hands idly stroking the spines of books as he went. She liked that. She did it too.

What books would he recommend? Something he genuinely liked or something he would use to make a point? What part of his personality would he choose to open to her? And why?

God, this was the curse of growing up with diplomats. Nothing ever looked as straightforward as it seemed. She was trained to look at the implications of every little thing.

"I can't even choose," he admitted after a while. "I love too many books here. However, to begin with, I think that maybe this one would be something you'll find interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed it."

He pulled out a book and handed it to her. She held it delicately, looking at the gold words embossed in the deep purple cover.

_Tales of Aslan's Will: A History of Narnia_

"I thought it would help you get to know Narnia better, and give you an insight of what you're up against." He stated carefully. Maybe she wasn't so good at keeping her fear and sadness hidden after all. He said _what you're up against. _He had seen that she found all this strange and challenging. She appreciated his attempt, but felt a need to hit back. She felt like her cover had slipped away just a little bit, and that disturbed her. She didn't like it when people looked beyond what she wanted them to see. It made her feel vulnerable.

"Thank you." She said sincerely. "It looks really interesting."

"You're welcome." Would you like to stay here and read for a while?"

"I think I'll go to my room and do that, if it's okay?"

"Of course it is. Shall I escort you there?"

"No, it's okay-well, actually, I have no clue where to go so yeah, that'd be great." He grinned and again they walked along in silence. She reached her room faster than expected and Edmund said,

"I hope you have everything you need?"

"Yeah, I do – I've practically packed for this."

"Well, then I'll say good night. See you tomorrow,"

"Good night, and thank you. Bye!" He gave her that smile of his once more, and she watched as his tall, lean frame made its way across the passage and out of the room. She wasn't sure whether she liked Edmund Pevensie yet or not, but one thing could certainly be said about him – he was rather intriguing. She was (reluctantly) enjoying this game sort-of thing that they seemed to be playing almost subconsciously. She still didn't know what to make of Narnia, and she had no clue what was real or not, but she realized that she had no choice but to accept what was going on, and that there was no way out of here.

Sighing, she changed into her pajamas and plopped down on the silky, soft bed sheets. _Que sera, sera_ after all. Whatever will be, will be.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey!**

**Here's chapter four for you, and thanks for the follows and review! Reviews are food for the soul though, and my soul is a little bit hungry :) So I'd really appreciate it if you could maybe give me a review?**

Bright sunlight was streaming in through the windows. Why hadn't she bothered to draw the curtains? Groaning, she stretched in bed and opened her eyes. Wait – her room did not look like this. Where was her roommate? What-

She bolted up. She'd hoped that maybe all this was a dream. It was real after all. She was in Narnia.

She groaned.

What time was it anyway? She looked at her phone on the bedside table, but it was still stuck in New York time. Ugh. She noticed a clock hanging on the opposite wall.

It was seven thirty a.m.

She had no idea what she was supposed to do. She was sure Lucy or Edmund or Caspian would come and get her (unless they'd forgotten about her existence, which she doubted) She swung her legs off the bed and grabbed some clothes, padding to the bathroom with her toiletries.

It was time to figure out how medieval baths worked.

It took her half an hour to finish bathing. She dressed in dark skinny jeans and a blue t-shirt with her converse. After running a brush through her tangle of curls, she sat down on the bed, wondering how the laundry service was run here and whether they drank coffee (She missed Starbucks)

Then there came a knock on the door.

"Celia? May I come in?"

"Yeah, sure," she responded to Lucy's voice as the door opened and Lucy came in, looking rather exhausted.

"I'm so glad you're awake!" she said. "Court begins at nine o' clock and Edmund woke up five minutes ago! Honestly, if you let him he'd sleep all day!"

So, Edmund was lazy and obviously not a morning person – unlike Lucy, apparently.

Anyway, I'm not going to attend today, luckily, so I thought we could spend some time together," said Lucy brightly. "Would you like too?"

"Yeah, sure," Celia smiled.

"Well, let's go down for breakfast!"

As they walked down the staircase, Lucy chattered about several things: the bunnies she was playing with under the hedge, her friends, Mr. and Mrs. Beaver (Celia was still sure she'd faint if she met a talking animal again, it was just plain freaky) and the strange attire that Celia was wearing.

"What I'm wearing is very normal in the 21st century," she assured her.

"That's just so strange, though! But I can't say it's a bad thing wearing trousers, I rather enjoy it myself to be honest. But we'll have to get you some proper Narnian clothing before people notice too much, because to Narnians you would look absolutely bizarre."

They reached the dining room where Caspian and Edmund were talking, the latter with a bedhead looking half-asleep.

Celia suddenly felt self-conscious in her jeans and t-shirt.

"'Morning," Edmund said, stifling a yawn. Caspian's eyes travelled over her as he took in her clothing.

"Is it a habit for men and women to wear each others clothing in your country?" he asked curiously.

"Men don't wear women's clothes," Celia laughed. "And what I'm wearing wouldn't be considered men's clothes either. It's normal for women to wear shirts and trousers and stuff, and they're made to suit women and men separately,"

"Fascinating," Caspian said, rubbing at his beard. Celia sat down opposite Edmund, and almost cried with joy when she caught a whiff of his drink.

"Coffee!"

"Well yes, would you like some?" Edmund asked, in a tone most amused, and poured some into her cup without waiting for an answer.

"Thanks," she took a sip and smiled, feeling much more alive.

"All of us prefer tea," Lucy said, "Except for Edmund. He literally sustains himself on coffee."

Spoken like a true Brit, Celia thought, and to Edmund she said, "I totally understand that, I don't feel alive until I've had my cup of coffee in the morning."

She dug into the eggs and toast she'd piled on to her plate.

"Edmund and I will be in court today, Celia, but Lucy doesn't have to attend, so we thought she could show you around Narnia."

"I'd love that," Celia nodded. She wondered how a Narnian court looked though. It would be really cool to see the way the administration worked here.

"The traders from Darin will present themselves in court today." Edmund stated to Caspian and Lucy. "They have approached us and Calormene for trading opportunities. They do provide their services well, and they do have good quality materials, but I'm worried whether the way the products are produced is ethical. I mean, we all know that countries around Calormene, and Calormene itself, don't exactly produce their products in the safest of ways—"

Celia assumed that by that last line Edmund was hinting at slave labor, child labor, that kind of thing. She'd never heard of a country called Calormene in her life.

This was scary. She'd always assumed that she was in an unknown part of the world where the people didn't even know that they were part of the world. But how was that possible? Edmund and Lucy knew about England and America – except only up to the 1940's. Caspian knew nothing at all. She'd assumed that maybe Edmund and Lucy were from outside Narnia, and had settled there. Caspian was probably a native. But what about Lucy's stories, the crazy ones with white witches and dragons and centaurs? Why would she lie to Celia? How could she truly believe that Narnia was a part of a different world?

The things that existed here were nothing like on Earth, though. They couldn't be explained.

Her head was spinning now. The trio seemed to sincerely and wholeheartedly believe in Narnia and everything about it. But Celia could make no sense of any of this. It only happened in fantasy fiction. Her mind just could not accept that she wasn't on Earth anymore, it wasn't possible. But _why _then-

"…Celia?"

"Yes?"

Lucy and Caspian laughed. Edmund was studying her discreetly, his only tell being that his head was cocked to the side. Celia kept on a polite expression, looking him straight in the eyes calmly, almost challenging him to figure her out. She couldn't help it; she felt defiant.

"We were talking about court matters and you drifted off," Lucy said, "Much like how I do when Edmund speaks," she threw him a cheeky grin and he rolled his eyes.

"I can't help that you have the attention span of a fly, Lu," he said.

"Anyway, if you're done with breakfast we can head off?'' Lucy said. "Yeah, sure," Celia gulped down her coffee and stood.

"Good bye, boys," Lucy waved at them. She grinned. "Enjoy your day at court!"

Caspian stuck out his tongue at her playfully and they laughed. "See you later!" Celia called, and she walked out with Lucy.

-x-x-x-

Edmund was in a fix.

The traders from Darin were here.

He'd been dreading this meeting.

It was weird, one wouldn't think that a meeting involving discussions of trade of cloth and luxury products would be critical or difficult at all. But it was. Darin was a small island nation near Calormen, and though it had a distinct culture and heritage, there was a powerful Calormen influence on Narnia. And Calormene wasn't exactly friendly wit Narnia. Despite Edmund's best efforts, any attempt at diplomacy between the countries had failed. This was because his conscience and his sense of justice and his need to maintain diplomacy clashed. The fact remained that deep down he _didn't _want to associate with Calormene. Their practices were abhorrent to him. The Tisroc was a disgusting man and the people were treating as objects. It was just _wrong. _But alas, Calormene was extremely powerful as well and making an enemy of them was dangerous. And so their relationship lay on thin ice, broken at the slightest tread.

It would indeed be a bounty if Darin became an ally of Narnia later on through trade. Having an ally close to Calormen would be an asset. But if things became hostile between the two nations, it would mean that Calormene could declare war on Narnia, which was potentially destructive.

The two traders in front of him now, Aramash and Belial, were middle aged men with sharp eyes that darted back and forth and skin the colour of the wood of the willow tree. They stood tall, almost defiant, in front of him. Their stance determined however, that they were not cocky or over-confident, but extremely nervous. This was the first mistake that people made when they tried pretending – they tried too hard.

"M'lord," bowed Aramash, his voice deep and smooth. "What say you to our proposal? What is your will towards Darin?"

Edmund took a deep breath. This is what it all came down to. This decision could make or break Narnia.

He'd done a background check on Darin. Their ruler seemed like a good man, if a little superficial. The people were treated properly. They were too close to Calormen for his liking, but this choice could transform that disadvantage into a resource with the right moves. The country itself seemed all right. But what about the product?

"Your offer is indeed tempting, my lords." He smiled. Step one, decide your approach. He had chosen the friendly, easy-going one. The indirect compliment was to soothe a little, to flatter. He'd always found it best to start with something good no matter what he would say next. It made a huge difference.

He glanced over at Caspian for a fleeting moment. He was currently attending to someone else, but his eyes caught Edmund's for just a moment. Taking a deep breath, Edmund went on,

"We would be honored indeed to do trade with Darin," he said firmly. "Your cloth is of a material finer than any other and your supplies of excellent quality. To assure that both countries know well the ideas and needs of the others, King Caspian, Queen Lucy and I feel that we could proceed much more smoothly with these matters if a separate contract is drawn up, with both of our agreements and conditions mentioned, do you not agree?" he ended with the question, keeping a friendly smile intact on his face but not breaking his posture, which showed that he was being friendly here but was still king and this was his territory. It seemed that his message hit home because the second trader, Belial, spoke. Edmund looked him over discreetly. He was a man of more polished stone than Aramash, but, Edmund thought, seemed a slimier character. He wasn't going to judge just yet though, he knew certain people of slimy character that were sincere at heart.

"Indeed, your majesty. A contract be drawn up. Would Narnia prefer to put forth first draft?"

Edmund felt like he'd released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. There, he'd gone and done it. They were trading with Darin. Now he just had to draft the conditions of the of their agreement and make sure to maintain contact. By Aslan's grace, they may gain an ally closer to Calormen than ever.

"Well met, milords."

"Well met, Your Majesty." Smiled Aramash, bowing once more. Edmund stood. It wasn't Narnian custom that monarchs stood when a meeting or discussion came to an end, but it was _his _custom. He felt that anyone who took the trouble to meet him deserved at least that.

Also, his legs were terribly cramped.

Court concluded in ten minutes after that, Gathering his things, Edmund walked out with Caspian, hoping that maybe he could nap, then train for a while and then work on the contract. His reputation as a workaholic was, to a certain degree, correct. His time was divided between his work and spending time with his family. He wasn't a great fan of balls or parties – Caspian was known as the jollier king, the one who made merry with the men and flirted with the women. Edmund had no time for romance, and no interest in it either – it was the bane of being able to read people. Open books were often no fun – and the content didn't intrigue him either.

"Glad that's done with, eh?" Caspian glanced at him and smiled. "Yeah! Very relieving. I'm still not sure if we can trust them though. I'm counting on my drafting skills to lend us the upper hand, what about you?"

"I was stuck with the delegation from Archenland. They were not unpleasant, but I swear these two eat with their hands round their head! They were so twisted, never got to the point! And it was just about the construction of the bridge near the Archen river too. Aslan, they vexed me. They were much more up your ally, Ed."

They spoke of everything and nothing as they walked to the dining hall. Edmund had come to enjoy Caspian's company a lot more over the years. The two were extremely close and both fiercely protective of Lucy. Edmund dreaded the next ball – it was so very tiresome to keep those annoying suitors away from her! She was still too _young_, according to him, though she would argue otherwise.

They lunched in silence (Caspian ate like a pig as usual) and thankfully, after he swallowed, he asked Edmund,

"So what d'you think of the girl from you world?"

Edmund knitted his eyebrows. For a change, he didn't know what to think.

"I'm sill evaluating." He confessed. "If she chooses, she could be an invaluable asset to Narnia. She certainly is a diplomat, as far as I've seen. She could be useful with meetings and proposals, with that neutral expression of hers. And if-" he broke off. Caspian was looking at him in amusement.

"Yes, I know you think she'll be useful, Edmund," he said, grinning, "But what do you think of _her?_"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I, for instance, think that she's friendly enough but rather cold and reserved. But well, she's always _watching._ She seems to observe a lot. She is strange to me indeed, but perhaps because she's so different. And she's not too hard on the eyes, is she?"

Edmund sighed. He should've known. Caspian _would _ask how he felt about her as a _woman._ When he thought about it, she wasn't extraordinarily pretty or beautiful at all. She was a little plain – but that was an asset. In their line of work, it helped more to blend in with your surroundings than stand out. She did have rather long legs, though…not like he'd noticed all that much. Her mental features were much more intriguing than her physical ones.

"She's all right." Edmund said nonchalantly. "Different, yes. Boring, no."

"Lucy has taken a liking to her."

Edmund snorted. "There are not many people to whom Lucy has not taken a liking to."

Caspian laughed. "Point made. But what should be made of her in Narnia? She can't not come out at all. Her appearance will already have caused a stir.

"I say we present her at court one day." Edmund said carefully. "Not yet, but eventually. We introduce her as a lady from another place, something more constructed than that. Hopefully, it will be accepted, and she will integrate. Aslan knows why she's here or what she'll do but hopefully it's all for good."

"Faith be in Aslan." Smiled Caspian. "And yes, that's a good plan. Would you like to spar in a while?"

"You know I can never back down from a match." Edmund grinned. "Perhaps in a few hours, when the noon heat settles?"

"A few hours it is, King Edmund." Caspian smirked. "Be prepared to lose."

"I hope you're not too full King Caspian. You'll soon have to eat your words."

He changed direction and headed from the dining room to his own quarters – changing out of his royal garb and settling down in his bed. His mind wandered as usual – thoughts of Peter and Susan, Lucy, the Darinian traders, Jadis (for a very fleeting moment, and guilt and panic drove that one out), and then, after a while, Celia Longburn. The girl was…not extremely boring. It took a lot to fascinate Edmund. His intellect was demanding. To a certain extent, Celia seemed to have fed it. She was easy to read, yet hard at the same time. Easy because her tricks and tells were all his own. It was almost like studying himself in another. But her style was unique, and she used the same tricks in different ways. She not only used her actions to complement the situation but also to shield herself from reacting. He'd seen several instances where she should've reacted but hadn't. It interested him, because he wanted to know what could be done to elicit a reaction. It also impressed him, in a way that she was trying to give as she got by trying to draw information from him discreetly (the book question, for example. It was rather good, except that he'd been able to see through it. It showed that she wanted the upper hand – ambition. So here he saw a girl who was masked, composed (mostly), genial and friendly but reserved. She seemed ambitious, or like she wanted to be in control. She had a large amount of self-control and she, like him, was constantly evaluating people. He didn't know why he was putting together her profile; perhaps it would come in useful sometime? But Celia Longburn seemed like a book more than half-closed, and out of sheer curiosity, one he wanted to open.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi! Thanks for the reviews, they were fuel for writing! Do let me know if you liked this chapter I'm not sure if I got all the slang and Narnian-British use of words right…what do you think of the relationship developing between Celia and Edmund? Anyway, without further ado!**

What Celia wanted, more than anything, was to sit in a car.

They'd gone around Eastern Narnia, and she'd seen lots of famous sites, like Aslan's How. It was, of course, impossible to see such a vast country in a day, but her head was already exploding with the facts and new ideas that she'd learnt.

The things she'd seen! It was bizarre. There were centaurs here, and fauns and Minotaurs. Not to mention animals just stopped by and _spoke _to Lucy randomly. She freaked out and screamed the first time she saw a faun, minotaur and otter talking amiably. There were _dryads and naiads _too – elusive women, extremely beautiful (if a little green) that walked around containing spirits of trees and BECOMING TREES. This was all freaking her out. How could any country be so scientifically advanced in genetics and not have cars? What was going on here? How was this possible? Stuff like this didn't exist, it couldn't – but she was seeing it with her very eyes!

All of this was making Narnia more real for her – which meant that her theories were the ones that seemed more make believe. It scared her. Every moment was scaring her. But if there was one thing she'd learnt, it was that one's worst enemy was fear, and keeping the enemy at bay until entirely defeated usually did the trick. And that was she was doing.

They'd sat by a little stream to have lunch and talked. She liked talking to Lucy. She could chitchat idly without really trying. She was free and open. She didn't warrant observation and critique. The girl was almost all sunshine and unicorns and rainbows – but Celia could see that she had her own insecurities. She noticed that Lucy seemed just a little overshadowed by her brother and Caspian, though her love and respect for them pushed those feelings away to a large extent. She seemed a little insecure about her appearance (although Celia thought she was really pretty) and her importance and capabilities as Queen. She wasn't sure if this was all very obvious or only she could see it. She was trained to root out weaknesses, so it was probably the latter. All in all, she had a good day.

But spending hours on a horse was taking a toll on her rear end. She wished she could sit in an air-conditioned car with the radio blaring. Narnia was beautiful, but home was home. She had to admit that she was growing more comfortable in Narnia with every second though.

They rode past the beautiful beaches and came to the gates of Cair Paravel.

"Lucy, is it a normal thing for all of you to travel around unguarded?"

"Well…we do all have consorts. Sitara, for example, is Edmund's wolf consort. Mine is a leopard called Awen. We asked them to keep their distance for a while, to be honest, since you're not exactly used to talking animals. We were shocked out of our minds at first too! I think you're getting used to it, though."

"It is a bit of a shock." Celia said. "But a good one! Who doesn't dream of animals talking?"

"True," Lucy laughed. "But not all animals here can talk, just like not all trees are dryads and neither are all rivers naiads." She answered all of Celia's questions, and they'd spent the entire ride talking about Narnia.

The castle gates were opened and they dismounted at the stables, brushing their horses nicely and feeding them sugar cubes.

They were walking past the armory when Lucy suddenly swerved around.

"Look, there's Caspian and Edmund – sparring!"

Celia followed Lucy into a circular area where two figures were fighting intensely. They were dressed in armor but weren't wearing any head protection. Both of them were carrying swords and shields. It was literally like an action movie – even better. She couldn't believe her eyes as the guys leapt and stabbed at each other with agility and grace.

Lucy beckoned to her and they quietly sat down on a ledge. Celia observed them properly now. Caspian was the more aggressive one. He repeatedly attacked Edmund, who seemingly was on defense. Celia could see that Caspian was stronger but Edmund was overall better. It looked like he had more skill, and patience. Their faces were both alert and completely focused on each other. It was scary watching them, but oh-so exhilarating. She noticed that Edmund was more subtle and covert, and almost smiled. It seemed to fit him somehow. As the two men danced around each other, Lucy tapped her on the arm.

"Who d'you think will win?" she asked excitedly. "The soldiers have quite a betting pool on when Caspian and Ed fight. Personally, I'm rooting for Caspian."

As if on cue, Caspian thrust his sword at Edmund and pushed him down roughly so he was lying on the ground. He held Edmund there and seemed to be counting.

"I'd bet on your brother." Celia blurted. She was studying his face intently, and his expression was grim, but not desperate or scared. His eyes darted around but his eyebrows weren't knitted, meaning that he wasn't frightened but thinking. And Celia was guessing that the minute Edmund started thinking was the minute he won. Diplomats were trained to look for loopholes out of the toughest situations, and Edmund was an accomplished diplomat.

"Hmmm…" Lucy looked at her sideways for a moment before gluing her eyeballs back to the scene in front of them. Celia felt slightly triumphant when Edmund slid his sword under Caspian's feet, tripping him up. He leapt up and pointed the sword back at the other king, who was still fighting him from the ground. He hooked his sword under Caspian's and it fell to the ground with a clash. In an instant, Edmund had picked it up and was pointing both swords at Caspian, counting all the while.

After about twenty seconds, Edmund returned his sword to Caspian and held out his arm. Helping Caspian up, he turned around, and spotted Lucy and Celia.

Waving at them, they stripped off their armor and put back their swords. Lucy called out, "Good match!"

Caspian approached them. "Thanks," he grinned. "Edmund had better watch his back next time. He just narrowly got me."

"Discussing my superior skill, I see," Edmund jogged over too. His hair was standing up in all directions, and though he looked sweaty, he was practically glowing. "Hello, Celia." He acknowledged. "How did you like what you saw of Narnia?"

"I loved it," she smiled, and then his eyes were searching her again, trying to discern if she was lying. She let nothing show, looking straight at him and smiling politely, her hands at her side, resisting the urge to fidget with them.

"Congratulations, by the way." She said. "That was awesome,"

"Ah – thanks." He grinned widely. "Have you watched anyone spar before?"

"Not really," she replied "And definitely not as intensely as that."

"That was nothing!" Caspian said. "If you thought that was intense you should see a battlefield. This was child's play."

She raised her eyebrows. "Let's hope I don't have to see what adults can do then," she said it with a slight smile.

As they walked up the castle, Lucy quipped. "It was a really close call. I was so sure you'd win, Cas. ("So was I," he moaned.) Celia was rooting for Edmund the whole time though,"

Edmund turned to her, his eyebrow raised this time. He practically smirked and she felt like narrowing her eyes. Lucy could've put it a little better than that.

"Is it so?"

"I was taking a guess."

"And what made you guess that _I'd _win? Caspian had me on the floor."

Ugh. He made it sound like he was playfully bantering but his intent was definitely to find out which technique she'd used to figure out her guess. She was _not _revealing that.

She couldn't help letting out a little breath of exasperation, which she immediately regretted. She saw that he'd registered that – he smiled very slightly. Was all this to counter the library incident or did he just like pulling her strings?

"It made sense for you to gain the upper hand." She said slowly, carefully, "Because Caspian's feet were wide apart and he was concentrating only on you. And your sword was so close to his foot – the normal thing to do would be to trip him."

"Thanks for the tip, Celia!" Caspian said. "I will keep my feet far away from Ed the next time!"

She laughed. "You do that," Edmund was still watching her carefully. Again she kept her expression stoic, not letting anything slip. Calm and composed was the key.

"The book you gave me is really good, Edmund." Celia said after a moment. She'd read a few stories and it was very well written – interesting and detailed with great subplots and even some political humor. The next story she was going to read was related to the White Witch's rule – and Edmund himself. She had an aching curiosity to begin it.

"I'm glad you like it," he said after a minute.

"What book did you give her?"

"Tales of Aslan's Will: A History Of Narnia"

"I loved that!" said Caspian enthusiastically. "It's one of the few books he's read." Edmund snorted. "Where are you in it, anyway?"

Ha! She'd got him. She'd been hoping to see his reaction when she mentioned the part she was at, if he had one at all. She hadn't expected him to walk into that.

Lucy and Caspian were walking ahead of them now, and she turned her head completely to detect any change in his expression. Oh, he was brilliant. If he'd realized what she was doing, he gave no indication.

"I'm just about to start _The White Witch's reign and defeat" _she said evenly. She watched him very carefully. His eyes remained locked on hers. His hands weren't fidgeting, but his jaw twitched very, very slightly. She nearly missed it. Something in his expression changed, but she couldn't make out what. Damn. He was affected in _some _way, but he was getting over it too – it looked like his reactions had been purposely and carefully dimmed down. Very neatly done. It must have taken a lot of practice.

"Ah. That is quite a gripping part of the book. After that, though, it became quite tedious for us to read – we became a part of history and we already know everything. However, it is interesting to see oneself through someone else's eyes, don't you think?"

He changed the subject smoothly and effortlessly, without looking cowardly. He'd acknowledged her words and had transitioned from them naturally, which made it look like he wasn't avoiding the topic at all.

God, what a freaking genius. He was really pissing her off. She'd _wanted _a proper reaction, something to go on. It felt to her like he was slowly putting together her identity, her character, and she'd got almost nothing on him.

"Yeah, it must be," she said absently, because the wolf she'd seen earlier was gracefully padding along with Edmund, as if wolves walked around with people casually every day (which they did.) A leopard with stunning blue eyes was by Lucy's side and a beautiful, tawny stag was by Caspian. Celia supposed these were the escorts, or guards, of the Kings and Queen. She was still freaking out. There were three wild animals just meters away from her, and they could speak. She felt a little faint, but also dreadfully intrigued.

"This is Awen – my consort," Lucy said brightly to Celia.  
"And this is Elian. I'm sure that you remember Sitara?" Caspian put in.

"Of course I do," she said politely. What was she supposed to do? Say hi? Shake…paws?

Luckily, the leopard, Awen, spoke. "Well met, Lady Celia." Who said 'well met'? How did she reply to that?

She smiled at Awen. "Please just call me Celia. It's great to meet you." Awen looked at Elian and then Sitara, and it seemed like all three of them were sharing some sort of important information telepathically. It was surreal.

Edmund and Caspian stopped and had something to eat, and since they weren't hungry, Lucy invited her up to her quarters, grabbing Celia's book on the way. It was painted a bright, cheerful blue, and it had an incredible view of the sea. It was pretty yet simple, and had an extremely positive vibe – just like Lucy herself. There was a huge painting on one wall of a majestic golden lion, who she took to be Aslan. It gave her a great sense of deja vu, for some reason. She was transfixed by it, and stared at it for ages before snapping back to reality (wherever that may be)

"Do you like it?" Lucy asked eagerly.

"It's breath-taking"

"I made it," she said simply.

"Whoa…Lucy, that is incredible. You're really talented!" Celia breathed. This girl was like the next Picasso, only better. She'd be really rich selling paintings like these back on Earth.

"This is nothing compared to Aslan. It does Him no justice at all. Oh, I wish you'd seen Him, Celia. He is the most beautiful Creature you will ever see. He can make even the darkest of times seem bright."

She felt a little envious of Lucy's devotion and faith. She'd grown up learning not to trust; to always suspect people and that nothing is what it looks like. That made believing in anything really hard.

Celia sat out on the balcony and started to read while Lucy did some official work, humming to herself slowly. _The White Witch's reign and defeat _was an interesting chapter, and though Celia already knew the basics, she was pulled in immediately. She imagined Edmund, a greedy, attention-starved little boy enthralled by what the witch had to offer. She could see the Witch in her head, cold and calculating and ruthless. As she read on, she slowly got the general picture Edmund was giving her by showing her this book. She read about his terror, his betrayal, his unbearable guilt, how he then worked harder than anyone to defeat the Witch. It was like he was telling her that he had nothing to hide. That he knew what he'd done, that everyone knew it too, and that he was laying it all out in front of her – so it didn't bother him anymore. The fact that he was okay with her reading this and had even suggested it meant that he was proving that he had accepted his past and was not extremely affected by it. But just the fact that he felt like he had something to prove seemed like that may not be the case after all.

Interesting. He had chosen to expose a fairly deep, important part of his persona. This fitted with the whole setting-expectations-first way in which he spoke. It was almost taunting though. It seemed like he'd put this information out, and was saying _there, now you know it. You know that doesn't affect me at all. What's your next move gonna be?_

It was almost like a challenge. Or maybe only she was seeing it that way.

Lucy was apparently almost done with her work when Awen prowled into the balcony.

"Supper-time, my queen." He almost purred, and somehow that didn't sound menacing. Lucy looked up.

"What? Yes, we'll be right down, Awen. Thanks."

The big cat slid out just as silently as he'd arrived.

"I hate maths." Lucy muttered. "All this counting…oh, just leave it! I'm ravenous, aren't you? Celia? Celia?"

"Huh?" she looked up from her book. It really was intriguing. "Yeah?"

Lucy looked amused. "Come on, let's go eat." The sky had turned an almost inly blue and she reluctantly put her book down and stood up. They walked down to the dining room and there sat Caspian, looking bemused.

"Anybody seen Edmund?" he asked. "He said he was going to go work on some drafts for the Darin contract, and he's nowhere to be seen. He's probably hidden in some corner of the library."

"He usually does that." Lucy said. "Disappears for days on end and then appears looking like he's been in battle, demanding food and water."

"We should probably go find him." Caspian said though he gave no sign of movement. "Though _I've _already looked through the whole castle…"

Lucy stuck out her tongue at him. "Fine. I'll go."

"I'll come along," Celia offered and so the two girls headed straight to the library. Celia remembered the last time she'd been in here. It had been…interesting.

They walked along separate aisles and stacks of books, keeping an eye out for the dark-haired king. Strangely enough it was Celia who'd found him – when she'd lost her way. After searching her entire side, she gave up, and was trying to find her way back through enormous piles of books when she spotted someone leaning down over a table, sitting on a couch surrounded by piles of books on all sides. She made her way there and called timidly, "Edmund?"

A muffled reply came to her. She moved closer, and peering down through a stack of books, she saw his head bent over something.

"Um-it's time for dinner and Lucy and I have been searching for you."

No response. She cleared her throat.

"Hey, Edmund? It's supper-time."

Curious to see what he was working at with so much fervor, she sat down next to him unsurely. Suddenly he twisted around and looked straight at her, startling her.

"Uh…hi," she said, a little disconcerted.

"What? Sorry, I've been a little busy…" he spread his hands out in front of him, indicating the piles of paperwork. She was itching with curiosity.

"It's okay, just that Lucy's asking you to come and eat," Rubbing his eyes, he stood up and yawned.

"Tedious work, law." He said. "What kind of law?" she asked, trying not to sound too eager.

"Well, a contract, actually." He shuffled through his pages. "Between two sovereigns. I'm trying to cover a trade contract where there's minimum scope for breach and maximum benefit to Narnia while trying to minimalize damage."

"Damage? Does the other party have ties with someone you're hostile with?" she guessed. That was the only place where the word damage applied. Damaged goods and nations did not seem like something King Edmund would be ready to trade with. Indirect damage was the only option left, and since this was between countries, she guessed it was due to complication of alliances.

-x-x-

She was good.

Edmund hadn't expected her to guess so close to home. He was still in a drowsy, work-induced state and had disclosed more than usual. She'd probably thought of this by eliminating other options. Not bad at all.

He wondered if he was letting his thoughts show. He immediately arranged his face to be interested in her, but not overly so. She wasn't the only one who could be stoic.

"Well-yes," he conceded. "They are close to a country that Narnia has a fragile relationship with. Them being tied with us could either benefit us greatly or cause us great harm."

"Yeah." She muttered. "Everything comes down to your terms and conditions. You'll have to build a solid declaration first, that the trade between you countries cannot be countered by anyone else. The clauses of your agreement's got to be down very firmly with no loopholes. You could suggest that whatever complaints about the trade can only be discussed between your countries with no outside interference at all, and if cleverly written you could put in a clause that…"

She halted. Her eyes were alight while she was discussing the contract, her hands waving animatedly. Now she was back to her usual guarded posture. She'd made perfect sense though. He couldn't believe that there was someone, so different from him, who spoke the same language. She had understood the tricky parts perfectly. He'd been listening keenly, and she'd somehow figured out the basic structure of the whole thing without even knowing what it was. He felt thrilled, almost. But also a little worried. Was he so easy to read? Was it a mistake giving her that book from the library?

"Just speculating, of course." She said, sounding just a little panicked (her voice was raised just a decibel, and he noticed because usually she spoke softly and firmly and this sounded a little loud. "I'm not sure though. Good luck with your contract, it sounds difficult."

"Your speculation was absolutely correct!" he said, and he could not contain the sliver of excitement in his voice. He reminded himself to think through this. Perhaps she was trying to get him to reveal something, find out his methods. He could never be sure. She had sounded entirely genuine, but he knew that she was a good actor.

He continued, "What do you think of a clause about-"

"_There you two are!" _Lucy came running towards them. "Oh, Aslan! What have you even been doing? We searched everywhere, and Celia, you went and got lost with him!"

"Sorry!" she said. "I completely forgot, seriously! All right. Let's go." Lucy glared at her brother who gave her a sheepish smile. They ran down to dinner where Caspian was pacing impatiently.

"How many countries have you invaded and come back, pray tell me," Caspian said. Saying their "sorry" 's all over again, they hastily tucked in. Edmund glanced across the table at Celia Longburn. She was eating calmly again, her face betraying nothing of the excitement that had shone on it when she was talking about agreements.

Somehow, he felt a strong, inexplicable desire to wipe that placid, indifferent expression away.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the slow update - I have school again after ****summer holidays, sadly. Thanks for the review. Here's chapter 6: In which Narnia starts to work it's magic on Celia. And maybe Edmund does too?**

Edmund Pevensie banged his head against the wall repeatedly.

Darin was just _such _an annoying country.

Three days had passed since he'd started drawing up the contract and he was still nowhere. He'd barely begun it. He knew exactly what he wanted to write, but just couldn't figure out how to get it through without causing any opposition. He could not let Darin guess that they were worried about safety because of Calormen. Showing fear or anxiety was never a good idea.

As he sat in his usual spot in the library, ready to fling the heavy law book he was reading across the room he heard footsteps. Sitara rose but relaxed immediately, and he swiveled around to see Celia, dressed in Narnian clothing.

He blinked in surprise but caught himself immediately. She was wearing a very simple dress of lavender. She looked more feminine than he would've thought. She also looked slightly uncomfortable (as usual she was hiding it well)

"Hello," she greeted. Her eyes were scanning him thoughtfully and he felt as though he was an insect under a microscope.

"Hello," he returned. "And how do you find Narnian clothing?"

She bit her lip very slightly. Hesitation. What she would say would be different than what she was thinking.

"It's more comfortable than it looks." She said, smiling slightly.

"It is quite flattering on you." He said, and he was mentally berating himself a bit. His tone was cool and perfectly platonic but he knew that he needn't have said that at all, what if she took it the wrong way (he highly doubted that, though). There was just this constant need within him to say and do things just to see her react. It was just so interesting.

She looked a little startled (barely noticeable widening of the eyes, slight raise of the eyebrows.) "Thank you," she said graciously, yet she was looking at him intently like she was trying to figure out what game he was playing.

He contained a grin. Oh, let her try.

She was holding a familiar book in her hands.

"I've been meaning to tell you," she said, "I've finished the book you suggested. It's incredible! I enjoyed it thoroughly, it was totally fascinating."

Ah, that was a reaction then, wasn't it? Her hands were moving just a little, but he could tell that when she was really invigorated they would simply fly.

Strange use of the word 'totally' though. Hm.

"I'm glad you liked it so much," he said genuinely. "It was one of the first books I read upon entering Narnia and it remains one of the best."

She smiled. He wondered if she had read between the lines of his gesture. The chapter about the White Witch. What had she made of it? What did she think of him? Why did it matter?

"Yeah…" he said this too, but when she did it, it sounded so different. "It's great. Well, you look busy. I won't trouble you any longer…"

He almost missed the fleeting, intensely curious glance she gave the books and paperwork beside him. His first instinct was to ask her if she wanted to join him but that option was ruled out before it was even brought in.

"Oh, no, no trouble at all" he said hurriedly (on purpose, of course) "It's not like I was being productive anyway."

"Difficult clause?" she asked immediately and he felt a little startled. That was a fast deduction.

"Yes, you could say so." He replied carefully. He had to remind himself that he didn't know her and couldn't trust her because it felt so good to have someone who _understood._

"It's hard trying to put my thoughts in words without phrasing them so as to cause a war." He said. Not too specific, not uninformative either. She nodded sympathetically.

"Yeah, it all comes down to stressing the importance of goodwill and peaceful alliance between the nations in a case like this, I guess."

Her tone was casual. He couldn't tell if she was feigning it or not. He could tell with almost everyone else. She was brilliant.

He thought about what she said. Had he stressed it enough? He hadn't thought of that. Somehow, he'd missed ever reasoning what he was saying. He could give it a go. It might work. How had he missed this before?

"Yes, I suppose it does," he nodded, as if he had not just found a way out of the metaphorical rut before she'd spoken. Was that a hint of a smile he saw on her face?

She was deciding whether to leave or stay, he could see it in the slightly outward direction in which her body was leaning and the glances she was discreetly making at the door.

"Where are Lucy and Caspian?" he asked, possibly because he didn't want her to go just yet.

"Lucy said she was busy with something and Caspian's helping her out. They were going to spend the day with me but I wanted to come to the library-"

"And that didn't go along so well with Caspian, did it?" he guessed, grinning.

"He put up an admirable effort, but I got the point." She grinned back, revealing evenly set teeth. He looked away from her mouth.

"You can sit down if you'd like," he said, gesturing at the couch. "That is, if you have absolutely nothing better to do."

She sat.

-x-x-x-

Celia had definitely been having an interesting day so far.

She woke up in the morning to see a lavender dress delivered to her room with a cheery note from Lucy attached. Deciding it would be rude not to wear it she did so. It fit well, to her surprise. Dressed were not her forte, however. She was more of a pantsuit sort of girl.

And then with Edmund Pevensie. My, wasn't he just full of surprises.

His compliment, for example. She could see it was mainly to see her reaction. She hadn't known how to react. That horrified her. She always knew how to react. And to her horror, she felt the beginnings of a blush heat up her cheeks.

Like right now, when they were sitting side-by-side on the plush couch, him leaning back comfortably with his legs crossed, holding his contract to his face.

She'd been to intrigued to leave.

After a few moments, he put the contract down.

"Oh. Sod it." He said. So Kings got exasperated too. She stored this moment away for later "I'm too bored for this." He turned so he was facing her completely and she so she faced him. She observed his slightly pale face, high cheekbones, full lips and dark eyes, wondering how many women had wanted his hand in marriage. It was just an interesting thought, of course.

"So what was your life like back in your world?" he asked curiously.

"I've already told you…"

"Those were simply facts. I'm talking about at the time when you…arrived, here. What was that period in time like?" he asked. She gazed at him, trying to find anything suspicious. She only saw curiosity.

"It was…fun, I guess." She knew he was watching her very carefully. Seeing if she would break upon mentioning things that far from her. Seeing how she felt. She had to be cautious.

"I got to travel the world, meet interesting people and see interesting things. College was good, too. Except the food. That was terrible." He grinned. "I was…am pretty satisfied. It was quite stimulating."

"What about you? How's life for you right now?" she added. She was adamant he does his bit of sharing.

"Hectic, of course," he said thoughtfully. "But fascinating, indeed. Being a King includes many things, but we have had peace for a long time, mostly. It has been an enjoyable reign and it feels good to be in Narnia."

He was thinking of somewhere else. His eyes had flitted away from her for a second – highly unusual.

"You must be really glad to have Lucy and Caspian by you," she said. She was implying that he was required now to make a statement about how he felt about his other two siblings left behind. A valuable nugget of information for her, definitely.

He got the point and she felt a little triumphant. "Yes, they are the best companions anyone could ever ask for." And she felt admiration for the love and faith so clearly expressed in his voice. "Apart from my sister Susan and brother Peter."

"You must miss them very much," she said softly. (Masking the burning curiosity inside her)

"I have faith that we will meet again." He said. Interesting. Was he an optimist? That didn't make sense, it didn't fit the character she'd built up around him. Realist, probably. It was likely he had weighed out the options and practically worked out the possibility of his siblings returning. Either that or he was a hopeless romantic. Appearances were deceiving, but she still highly doubted it.

"That's great," she said. Same soft tone. She didn't know how, but the conversation went from there to places she'd never imagined. Some things were the same. Same scrutiny, careful, diplomatic answers and posture, artfully framed questions. But it seemed to her that their mutual curiosity for each other had overpowered their respective vary natures.

"Would you consider putting more than seven clauses per section into an agreement that would end in a span of 60 days?"

"Depends on who we're dealing with. I think the more I want acceptance the fewer clauses I'd put instead I'd put in-"

"Sub clauses?"

"Yes," she said, a little delighted. "Absolutely. Who ever invented those is a genius. I'd put several, very short sub clauses and the most agreeable ones in the beginning."

"Ah, of course. The well-worn yet highly effective method of putting the good news first."

"Exactly!"

The conversations went on.

"Do you believe that it is possible for a human being to control his own fate, as you'd call it or do you simply believe that fate controls humans?"

"I think it's a little of both." Edmund answered thoughtfully. "You definitely control you own fate but there is a variable that is nature, or God, or Aslan, for us. One thing about what happens to us that we cannot control at all."

"That makes sense. However, what if we control everything with our actions? What if this very moment I', controlling my future by speaking to you?"

"You definitely are," Edmund said. "Then…well, I digress to that point. But I firmly believe that the things that are not controlled by you in your life largely shape it too."

"Well…"

And so it went on. And that's when Lucy found them, a full three hours later. He, leaning back, completely relaxed (on purpose?) with his hands crossed behind his head, eyes glinting almost playfully. She sitting bolt upright, her hands moving and gesturing widely as she spoke, one hand raking through her mass of short curls occasionally.

"It's time for supper!" Lucy announced, none too quietly. "And you two look like you're having fun," she grinned cheekily and looked from her brother to Celia. "How long have you been in here?"

"Er…since I left your room." Celia admitted. Lucy looked astonished and looked at her brother thoughtfully.

It seemed then that one of those sibling-telepathy things were happening that she could just not get, no matter how well trained she was.

"Let's go," she said after a minute and they met Caspian on the way out, who exchanged a few words with Edmund and greeted her enthusiastically.

As they joked around the supper table, Celia felt weird. She hadn't thought of or missed her home at all. She felt at peace, almost comfortable, with these total strangers. What was happening to her? Was she losing her grip on reality? What was reality?

But at that moment, when she smiled at Lucy and laughed at Caspian and felt Edmund's searing gaze on her (which she returned with one of her own which turned into a staring match) she was shocked to find that at that very second, and for a few afterwards, she really couldn't bring herself to care.

-x-x-x-


End file.
